1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to an embroidery data processing apparatus capable of generating stitch data for producing embroidery stitching inside a closed area enclosed by an outline that defines the shape of an embroidery area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stitch data for stitching an embroidery was conventionally generated by a skilled person determining the position coordinates of needle location point for each stitch. An embroidery data processing apparatus has recently been developed, which is able to semi-automatically generate stitch data for embroideries by defining an embroidery body that designates the shape, position, size, stitching direction, stitch density, and the like of an area to be embroidered. Such apparatuses are now widely used. A method for filling a closed area enclosed by an outline that defines the shape of an embroidery area, with stitches, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,524 and the like, is widely employed by ordinary embroidery data generating systems and the like.
However, the embroidery data generating method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,524 does not take into consideration a case where the outline defining the shape of an embroidery area intersects itself. Therefore, this conventional method sometimes generates inconvenient data that causes a stitch or a segmental area-connecting thread to extend out of the embroidery area.